Had a frozen piston in the left rear caliper, so needed to replace it. I read on an old thread here where someone gave a hint about how to get some slack in the emergency cable, so that it can be removed at the rear caliper. They suggested pulling the main cable back as much as possible, then carefully clamping it with a vice grips. That gave me an idea that would avoid the use of the vice grips. Used a tie-down strap and hooked one end over the bracket that transitions from the single front cable to the two separate cables toward the rear. then hooked the other end to the back, on the coil spring. That gave quite a bit of slack at the rear caliper, to unhook the cable.
Someone had also suggested using an old ?? mm box end wrench and cutting a slot through it to slide over the cable, so as to release the prongs that hold the cable housing bracket in place. (I think that was on a YouTube video.) There are three prongs. I used an open-end 1/2" wrench to depress two of the prongs, and had a small vice grips clamped on the cable housing, so that I could turn it to line up the third prong with the slot in the bracket. (The slot is there so that you can slide the cable out of the bracket, once the cable housing end with the prongs is slid back out of the bracket.) The vice grips gave me something to get a good hold of the cable housing, so as to pull it forward and out of the bracket. Worked well for me.
ONE QUESTION: The banjo bolt (at the brake line attachment point on the caliper) on the caliper I bought has an 11 mm head. I DID use the new copper washers provided, and tightened it as much as is possible with an 11 mm wrench, but there is still a very slight fluid leak there. I will watch it to see that it doesn't continue to leak, but it is possible that it will stop?
(I have never before replaced a brake connection that used this type of connection there - all my experience is with much older vehicles that use a threaded fitting. Also, most of my experience has been with vehicles that weren't here in the Ohio "Salt Belt" - I grew up in Oklahoma, where we never had to contend with the rust problems encountered here in Ohio and in places like Minnesota, where I went to college.)
Someone had also suggested using an old ?? mm box end wrench and cutting a slot through it to slide over the cable, so as to release the prongs that hold the cable housing bracket in place. (I think that was on a YouTube video.) There are three prongs. I used an open-end 1/2" wrench to depress two of the prongs, and had a small vice grips clamped on the cable housing, so that I could turn it to line up the third prong with the slot in the bracket. (The slot is there so that you can slide the cable out of the bracket, once the cable housing end with the prongs is slid back out of the bracket.) The vice grips gave me something to get a good hold of the cable housing, so as to pull it forward and out of the bracket. Worked well for me.
ONE QUESTION: The banjo bolt (at the brake line attachment point on the caliper) on the caliper I bought has an 11 mm head. I DID use the new copper washers provided, and tightened it as much as is possible with an 11 mm wrench, but there is still a very slight fluid leak there. I will watch it to see that it doesn't continue to leak, but it is possible that it will stop?
(I have never before replaced a brake connection that used this type of connection there - all my experience is with much older vehicles that use a threaded fitting. Also, most of my experience has been with vehicles that weren't here in the Ohio "Salt Belt" - I grew up in Oklahoma, where we never had to contend with the rust problems encountered here in Ohio and in places like Minnesota, where I went to college.)